I returned to the nest site after the rain showers on Friday to find all three youngsters still on the nest. They slept and a few were active, flapping about. Then the first fledgling flew without warning to the building across the street.

The second fledgling had quite an adventure this morning. I missed all of the action but heard lots of stories. At some point it was on the steps of the church and managed to fly to each of the buildings at the intersection. When I arrived in the late morning it was on a windowsill of 535 West End Avenue.

Looking around for the other two, I finally found them in a corner of the eyrie.

Two occupants of the apartment where the second fledgling was perched came close to their window and the fledgling flew back to the church tower. It was good timing as it started to rain soon thereafter. I stayed a bit longer staying dry under some building sheds and could continue to see all three. The young falcons didn’t seem to mind the rain, as they didn’t go hide inside the eyrie.

I missed the excitement of the second eyass leaving the nest Thursday morning. It ended up in some barbwire above the rear entrance to 530 West End Avenue on 86th Street. I’m not sure why but someone thought it was injured and pushed it with a stick and it ended up flying a block west to a ledge on 310 West 86th Street.

When I arrived I saw the adult female on one of her normal perches, but she was looking due west. I know to go looking for a fledgling. Quickly I found it on 310 West 86th Street. After about twenty minutes it decided to walk the ledge the building shares with its twin 320 West 86th Street almost to the end on the 320 side, before it decided to hop onto an air conditioner. It would end up staying there for the afternoon and into the evening. I left after 8:30 and it looked like it would be roosting there for the night.

Last year, a fledgling stayed on the same ledge for two days! And another for 36 hours. So, the bird staying in one place shouldn’t alarm anyone at this point. I suspect the parents will lure it to a safer place with food over the next day or two.

A bigger surprise than the second fledgling, which I had expected would happen today, was at the eyrie. I had seen the youngest on the nest a few times and at dusk went looking for it. It was sitting on a ledge. Then out of nowhere, the first fledgling appeared! I had been looking for it most of the afternoon and here it was back on the tower. This happened a few times last year. It looks like its left leg was also recovering which was nice to see. It wasn’t having trouble putting weight on the leg anymore.

So, when I left for the evening, I had seen the whole family and everyone looked great.

Today, there were two youngsters on the nest and one youngster using buildings south of the eyrie. The fledgling continues to have problems putting weight on its left leg, but is a great flyer. It went to the water tank of a The Claremont at 255 West 85th Street, which is a 22 story building.

Everyone got fed and the parents were very active keeping track of the fledgling and exploring the neighborhood.

I had come by the eyrie on Monday, but missed seeing the first fledgling. Others had seen it on 530 West End Avenue.

On Tuesday, the first fledgling had been flying around in the afternoon, and I finally saw it on the top of 530 West End Avenue. The adult male brought it some food. The fledgling was limping a bit seeming to have trouble putting weight on its left leg. Hopefully, it’s just a strain and the problem will resolve on its own.

It appeared that two birds were off the eyrie at one point. Last year, we had the same problem where the fledglings kept going back to the tower, so it was hard to say who and how many had fledged. We had the same problem on Tuesday afternoon. Like last year, I can’t tell who is who. While they were growing up, I could see the age differences, but now the two oldest look very much alike.

I arrived at the eyrie around 1 p.m. to find one of the eyasses had already fledged to the northern fire escape of 530 West End Avenue four floors down from the top. The mother was on a railing watching over the new fledgeling, who as running across the fire escape. The fledgling made a few attempts to go through a closed window, only to learn it’s not possible.

Then it was up the ladder for the fledgling. It eventually when a floor higher. Newly fledged raptors seem to know to go higher, as it’s safer, and this one showed this instinct.

The bird did lots of flapping and was watched over from a building on 85th Street by the adult male. I didn’t spend much time looking at the eyrie and only spotted one of the two remaining eyasses.

Some fledge days are full of drama, when they fledge badly. I’m not sure what happened later in the evening, but at least while I was there everything seemed to be just as it should be.